Amusement apparatus.



T. A. & T. H. FULTON.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED IBB.4. 19'05.

PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

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PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

T. A. 62: T. H. FULTON. AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED PEB.4. 1905.

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UNITED srAWnN orrion.

THOMAS A. FULTON AND THOMAS H. FULTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application filed February 4:, 1905. Serial No. 244,119.

To (oZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS A. FULToN and THOMAS H. FULTON, citizens ofthe United States of America, and residents of the borough of Richmond,in the city of New York, county of Richmond, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention has to do with amusement apparatus of the general classtermed roundabouts, and has for its object the improvement in thecombination and arrangement whereby simplicity of construction isachieved and ease of operation, coupled with strength and durability,promoted and assured.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of thevarious mechanical features, substantially in the manner hereinafterdescribed, and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating our invention, Figure 1 is afront elevation of our improved amusement apparatus. Fig. 2 is a toppartial plan view 011 a large scale. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionshowing the upper bearing on which the spherical frame is supported.Fig. 1 is a detail view of a portion of the lower bearing for saidspherical frame. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of one of the pinscon necting rib-sections. Fig. 6 represents details of the lower bearingfor the spherical frame and indicates one of the braces for givingrigidity to said frame.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe different figures of the drawings.

1 indicates a tower. Itis an upright frame of steel or other metal ofsuitable height and properly braced by cross-braces 2, said towertapering usually from bottom to top. Supported revolubly in suitablebearings in the tower is a vertical shaft 3, which is rotated by meansof some suitable electric or other motor properly geared thereto and notshown in the drawings, as we lay no claim to the motor, the applicationof such a driving means to a driving-shaft being common.

4 designates the cars or carriages, of which there may be any number,adapted to contain pleasure-seekers who ride therein in order to enjoythe'sensation of pleasure and exhilaration incident to a rapid movementthrough the air. These cars may have any preferred design and shape, andthey are supported by means of the cables 5 and 5, the cables 5 runningto one end of the car and the cables 5 to the other end, while themembers of each pair of cables 5 5 run together and alongside each otherup to the top of the apparatus, as shown in Fig. 1.

The car-supporting cables are carried by a globular or sphericalskeleton frame, which is hung revolubly on the tower 1 near the top,there being preferably two bearings or forms of support at the two polesof the sphere. This spherical frame consists, essentially, ofsemicircular ribs arranged in pairs, said ribs being designated by thereference-numeral 6. One convenient construction is to make the sphereor globe consist of six pairs of these ribs 6. The members of each pairare located a short distance apart and are rigidly connected together bymeans of the pins 7, which pass through the ribs, said pins projectingalternately in different directions and being provided 011 the saidprojecting ends with i11- sulating means, as 8, whereby lamps may besupported for the purpose of illuminating the apparatus at night andcausing a brilliant electrical effect. There may be any number of thesecross-pins 7 and they may be either straight or bent, as shown at 7 inFig. 5, the object of thus bending the pin 7 being to rovide an indentedchannel between the ri s 6 to receive more securely the car-supportingcables 5 5 which extend upwardly between the ribs 6 and lie on the pins7 and are fastened at the top of the apparatus around the upper part ofthe shaft 3, all as clearly indicated in Fig. 3.

The top of the tower 1 is provided with a horizontal metallic plate orcasting 9, which obviously is stationary and rigid. The top surface ofplate 9 is furnished with a circular groove 10, in which is a series ofballs 11, and above plate 9 is another plate 12,hav ing therein acircular groove 13, which also receives the balls 11, so that in thisway a ball-bearing is provided between the stationary top of the towerand the revolving plate 12. This plate 12 is the top pole-plate of thespherical frame, and it has a boss or hub 1 1 thereon, through whichpasses rotary shaft 3, which is keyed thereto, the upper end of saidshaft having preferably thereon a nut 15, as shown in Fig. 3, whichscrews tight 011 hub 14.. The exact form of the polar plate 12 may varywithin wide limits, as also the man ner in which the ribs 6 are boltedor otherwise secured thereto. Thus it will be seen that the weight ofthe spherical frame, and of the cars supported by said frame, bearschiefly on the top of the tower, where the above-described ball-bearingis introduced for the purpose of diminishing friction and affording easeof movement. At the bottom pole of the sphere or ball ahorizontal ring16, of channel-iron, encircles tower 1 and is secured thereto by meansof suitable bolts 17 or otherwise, said ring 16 being shown partly inplan in Fig. 4 and in section in Fig. 6. As the ring 16 is ofchannel-iron, one side is open, as seen in Fig. 6. In this channeledring are .journaled at intervals vertical rollers 18 of some suitableantifriction variety, the surfaces of the rollers projecting outside ofthe channeled ring, in which they are journaled. These rollersconstitute a part of an antifriction-bearing for the lower portion ofthe ball or spherical frame, the revolving member of which bearing is.connected with such frame and preferably consists of a ring-shapedmember or wearing-shoe 20, secured to the lower ends 19 of the ribs 6,as indicated in Fig. 6. This shoe 20 surrounds the tower 1 and has asmooth vertically-disposed surface that engages with theantifriction-rollers 18, thereby permitting the frame to revolvesmoothly and swiftly. It will also be seen that the shoe 20, beingconnected to all the ribs 6, operates to impart strength and rigidity tothe spherical frame, for which purpose it is preferably of the angularshape in crosssection represented in Fig. 6. In order to furtherstrengthen the spherical frame or ball, we employ stay-rods 21 ,fastenedto the ribs 6 near the top pole-plate 12, (see Fig. 1,) and alsofastened to the lower ends of the ribs 6 by hooking or otherwise nearthe angular lower ends 19, said stay-rods 21 being made in two or morepieces and provided with turnbuckles 22 in order that they may be taut,and thereby caused to impart stiffness and strength to the sphere.

Of course one of the principal objects of the globe, ball, :or sphericalframe is to secure greater stiffness or stability in the structure,

and especially in that portion of the structure.

from which the cars are suspended. The globular form is admirablyadapted to fulfil this purpose, and by the use of the top polar plateandhub resting upon ball or roller bearings the weight is placed uponthe top of the tower where it ought to be.

The car-supporting cables 5 5 pass upward into the channels between theribs,-as above explained, until they reach the top hub of the frame,where they are fastened together by means of clamps 23, located at bothsides of the hub 14, and the cables are separated from each other, so asto pass around the hub 14, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus the cables leadupward from a car on one side of the machine to a point where they arethus connected to the spherical frame, and

then the same cables lead down on the other side of the machine toanother car. In this way all shackles, pins, and joints, as well as thesplicing of cables, are avoided and danger ofbr'eakage reduced to aminimum.

As the spherical frame revolves the carsupporting cables will move outcentrifugally from the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 1 to theposition shown in dotted lines in the same figure, and when they are inthe latter position they will be considerably'more out of the channelbetweenthe ribs than when they are in the former position. There islittle danger of their flying out so far as to entirely leave theguiding-channels between the ribs but in order to effectually. guardagainst their ever doing so the pairs of ribs are rovided with one ormore clips or connectlons 24, against which the cables will strike whenthe centrifugal movement proceeds far. enough. All the cables whichenter one channel between the parallel ribs may be grouped together, ifdesired, or united by some fastening device at 25. noted, moreover, thatthe pins or bolts 7 serve not only to connect the ribs 6, but also serveas the rungs of a ladder running It is to be from top to bottom of theglobular or spherical frame, on which ladder the workmen can ascend anddescend, working with safety on repairs or when adjusting the electricwires for illuminating purposes. Around the equatorial portion of thespherical frame or at some other point thereon we preferably apply alight construction consisting of a couple of parallel horizontal rods 26or consistmg of lattice-work, the same fastened to the ribs 6 andforming an admirable displayplace upon which to carry an illuminatedsign or lettering to designate the character of the amusement apparatusand to attract patrons, the exact construction of this frame eingvariable within wide limits.

An amusement apparatus of the character we have just described isabsolutely safe in its 0 eration, inasmuch as the cars are suspenc ed atsuch a point from the tower and are so revolved that there is noliability of striking the tower or of having any improper lateral swing,and hence there can be no sudden stop through a lashing of the carsagainst the tower; neither is there any danger arising from a weaknessin the support of the cars, as they are held by the strong rib andspherical construction, which is the strongest construction known andwhich suspends the cars and moves them in an absolute secure and easyway. The danger which exists in machinery of this character of havingthe cars strike against the tower may be obviated by the use of acircular guard-rail, as 30, which maybe built out from or attached tothe tower in some suitable way-as, for instance, by means of arms 31,which arms may be joined together to IIO form a roof. The cables thatsupport the cars strike against this rail when any influence causes themto swing too far inward, and thus the cars are prevented from strikingthe tower. When a roof supports the guardrail, it serves to protect themachinery and may itself constitute a fender or guard without the latterbeing a separate device.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a tower, of a frame having a bearing at the toptheleof, said frame comprising ribs arranged in pairs, a top hub towhich the ribs are connected, cables connected to the hub from which the/kcars are hung, and means for supporting the cables between the ribs ofeach pair, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a tower, of a spherical or globular frame havinga bearing at the top of the tower and consisting essentially of ribsarranged in pairs, the members of the pairs being connected together toform guide-channels, and cars together with supporting-cables for thecars, which cables pass upward in the channels between the ribs and areconnected to the upper part of the globular frame.

3. The combination with a tower, of a globular frame having a bearing atthe top thereof, said frame consisting essentially of ribs, a top hub towhich they are connected, and a ring for connecting the lower ends ofthem together, antifriction means carried by the towerfor facilitatingthe rotation of the lower part of the globular frame.

4. The combination with a tower, of a swinging movement of the cars.

6. The combination with a tower, of a globular frame having ribsarranged in pairs, pins connecting said ribs, cars for carryingpassengers and cables attached to the cars with the pins.

7. The combination with a tower, of a spherical frame having its bearingat the top of the tower, said frame being composed essentially of airsof ribs, a series of ins connecting said ribs and bent inwar at theirmiddle portions between the ribs to form a groove, cars, and cablesarranged to lie in said grooves for supporting the cars, substantiallyas set forth.

Signed at New York city this 31st day of January, 1905.

THOMAS A. FULTON. THOMAS H. FULTON.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. HAZELTON, I. HEIBERG.

cables to the frame for limiting the outward I and lying between theribs and in contact

